With course selection coming up this week, the Prospect staff decided to write in-depth articles on what classes to take for each grade. We asked this year’s sophomores on their advice and honest thoughts on the classes they are taking. Here are some student’s opinions on each of the academic courses available for incoming sophomores.

Math:

Algebra II CP: “The workload is just the right amount to help me understand and master the topic at hand and it is not too much to the point at which it is busy work. The class is normally quiet but they answer when they have to answer a question. Overall Algebra II College Prep has been a good experience and I would recommend other students take this class.” -Lilly Aysseh

Algebra II H: “Algebra II H is a good class if you are a math person. If you aren’t a math person it may be a little harder, but teachers will be there offering resources and help, so as long as you put in the work, go for it.” -Anna Coulter

English:

English 10 CP: “English is a fun and creative class; through reading and analysis of books and journals you draw back to themes I encountered in real life. If you enjoy reading and see it as something fun then English H is for you. Nonetheless English CP is a fun and more open course then Honors.” – Aryan Maheshwari 

English 10 H: “The experience and knowledge you get from this class is essential for any reading or writing. By January we have already read two books and a play, and we’re behind schedule. The teachers are very well-qualified, and able to point out any literary device or tactic used by the author. Just the other class we analysed one line from “The Glass Menagerie,” focusing on an Emily Dickinson poem that accurately conveyed the meaning of the passage in one line. The amount of meaning pushed into the book is so immense, but it is put into digestible pieces. Teachers are willing to help you with your writing, and always eager to give advice.” -Ewan Dignon

Science:

Chemistry CP: “I think the main reason that I liked it was because I found the content to be fairly easy to understand and the workload was manageable. Anyone can do the course if they are willing to put the effort in…. I also really enjoyed the labs because I found them to be interesting and fun. It was the first time that we could work with fire and chemicals which is always fun. I would recommend the course to anyone who enjoys doing hands-on activities like labs (although I don’t know how COVID will affect that).” -Isabella Dicine

Chemistry H: “Honors Chemistry is a wonderful course if you are looking to engage in a hands-on classroom learning about real life application. It is paced fairly well and requires a learning mindset. Most curriculum is the same as the CP course however the time you get in between units may vary.” – Aryan Maheshwari 

Physics CP: “In my opinion, don’t focus too much on your grades. Just focus on getting the work done and choose classes that you think would have a decent work load so you can maintain a solid grade all year! For example, I’m taking physics right now as a sophomore (it’s usually a junior/senior class) and I have maintained an A/A+ all year just by submitting my work and getting it done. That technique will help you a lot in the future!” -Margaret Carroll

Social Studies:

Modern Global Studies CP: “Global is easy if you spread out the workload, and there is a pretty heavy workload, but if you spread the work out over a few days, you’ll be okay.” -Margaret Carroll

Modern Global Studies H: “Modern Global Studies Honors is not as bad as it sounds but is extremely dependent on the teacher. In my class, the work we get is more time consuming than it is hard work. It definitely helps reinforce the current concepts that we are learning.” – Nick Sakey

AP Modern European History: “In APMEH we always seem to be covering something interesting. The teachers’ lectures are not only factual, but also engaging. We focus on European nations and learn the history behind them, the progress they’ve gone through in order to get to the present day. The workload isn’t too heavy, and it’s all meaningful, no busy work to be found. Aspects of society you would never dream of learning about, the smells and the social life of famed philosophes are covered in detail and add context to events from the Renaissance through the French Revolution and the creation of the European Union.” – Ewan Dignon

World Language:

Spanish: “Spanish is an easy class. It’s very fun and enjoyable and I would recommend taking it.” -Anna Coulter

French: “My experience in Ludlowe French has been great. The teachers are very knowledgeable about not only the language but also the culture of the countries. French is spoken around the globe, and the French teachers never fail to have an interesting tidbit of information. The classes themselves cover necessary basics of the language, everyday speech and the grammatical basis of more complicated sentences. The curriculum is a bit of a spiral, with everything we’ve learned before being used in each unit.” – Ewan Dignon

Latin: “Latin is a fascinating language and it helps with English (word roots and etymology), but there is a lot of grammar to learn so it is not an easy A course, at all. We also learn about Roman history in the class which is neat. ” – Aniket Martins

Mandarin: “It is overall pretty fun and Lin Lao Shi is really nice. It’s a great class that doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of work.” -Serena Remmes